1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an applicator for coating of various powders and liquids, which is used in the fields of cosmetics, writing, painting, and medical treatment or the like, and to a method of producing the applicator.
In particular, it relates to an applicator which is used as a makeup instrument, a writing instrument, a painting instrument and a medical device, more particularly it relates to a chip or a brush preferably used for applying eye shadow and to a method of producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various applicators including writing instruments have been employed widely in fields ranging from painting to medical treatment.
Therefore, the shapes thereof vary greatly with their uses.
For example, applicators for makeup are commercially available in the form of a brush and a sponge or the like as products including a face brush, a cheek brush, an eye shadow brush, an eye shadow chip (applicator), an eye color brush, an eye color chip (applicator) and a lip brush.
There are also various methods for producing applicators such as a method in which animal hairs or synthetic fibers are bundled into a writing or painting brush; a method in which the tip of a bundle of fibers bonded with an adhesive is processed into a coating member having a sharp form; a method of producing a molded product, having a tip as a coating member which is made of a porous sponge material of a synthetic resin; and a method of producing, as a coating member, an extrusion molded product of an elastic or soft thermoplastic synthetic resin wherein slit-like capillaries are formed.
The above-mentioned various applicators have constantly been examined for improvement. Among them, an applicator for eye shadow powder such as an eye shadow chip (applicator) and an eye shadow brush is known to have the following problems, therefore, the elimination thereof has been eagerly desired.
That is, a sponge chip (applicator) and an NBR chip (applicator) change largely with time, and discolor and harden in many occasions, therefore they tend to be deteriorated and crumbled.
A flocky chip (applicator) produced by static flocking method has a problem of loosing flocks.
Animal hairs have problems from the viewpoint of environmental protection and animal protection, and they have a problem of high cost as well.
In consideration of the above-mentioned present situation, the inventors have tried to solve the problems by the use of a bundle of fibers, in particular, synthetic fibers, which are widely employed for a writing instrument such as a pen and a brush.
As a result, the inventors have found that an excellent applicator for makeup can be obtained by uneven distribution of a synthetic resin which is used for binding and bonding a bundle of fibers, such that the amount of the synthetic resin is more in the peripheral part of the fiber bundle and less in the central part thereof, thereby making the peripheral part of the bundle harder and the central part of the bundle softer, and completed this invention.